More than 250 wineries have sprung up in the 10 counties that can be considered part of the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The wines being produced are incredible: intense, unique, sometimes even experimental in terms of blends and varietals. Learn more about this great and growing California wine region!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

"I am going to be relatively
worthless for the near future...veraison in the vineyard and the last push of
summer," wrote Elizabeth Standeven last week of the situation in her vineyards, Shaker Ridge Vineyards. Elizabeth is one of my
treasured contacts in the Sierra Foothill grapegrowing community. Elizabeth is as honest, hardworking and
progressive a grapegrower as you will find anywhere, and her dedication to
farming in the Sierra Foothill terroir is heartwarming.

﻿

The tempranillo will be the first red
to ripen at Shaker Ridge Vineyard

Earlier this year, she did a long
interview that I wanted to post, but time just flew. You know how that goes.
But here it is, a bit belated, but if you ever wanted to gain more appreciation
for what goes into great grapes and therefore great wine, read on....

IN THE WEEDS IN EARLY JUNE 2013:
TIME-CHALLENGE FOR SMALL VINEYARD OWNERS IN El DORADO COUNTY

Elizabeth
Standeven and her husband Andrew grow Barbera, Primitivo and five Portuguese
winegrape varietals on seven acres of vineyard in a prime location at 1500 feet
elevation in El Dorado County. They are like many small farmers:
time-challenged.

“Right
now,” Elizabeth said early in June, “we are literally in the weeds. We just
mowed between the rows a few weeks ago because the rain is usually done at this
time of the year. But with these constant little bits of rain we’ve had, the
weeds are growing again. I’d like to talk more, but I gotta get out and mow
again.”

It
was difficult for Elizabeth to find 15 minutes to update me on the state of her
vineyard, which actually reflects the status of many vineyards nearby in El
Dorado County, California. Elizabeth, however, does take her position as
President of theEl Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association seriously, and any
bits of awareness she can garner for El Dorado grapes has moved closer to the
top of her multi-layered priority list.

﻿

The vineyard in early spring

“With
this unusual spring weather pattern, our do-list seems almost endless,” she
said. “So many of the tasks must be done in a tight window of time. For
example, we need to thin the shoots for our Barbera; there are ‘way too many
shoots. And we have to do this when the shoots are between one foot
and two foot of growth. That’s right now.”

Other
tasks on her list?

“Well,
we just had bloom, so we must sample for nutrients and see what to add; we have
to adjust things before you get too far into fruit set. We’ve got this ideal weather
now, between 75-80 degrees, and this is ideal not only for bud burst but it is
also perfect for mildew. So if we have vine growth, we have to start spraying
to control the mildew, and whether you use sulfur or oil, this spraying must be
done every 7 to 10 days.”

Then there is the need for labor. Elizabeth and Andrew try to do as much work as possible themselves
on their 7 acres. At that size of vineyard, she notes, you can’t
make any money unless you do most of the work yourself. “Unless you have a
winery as well as a vineyard, it doesn’t pay to hire lots of labor. The truth
is that who performs the tasks is very dependent on the size of the vineyard,”
she said.

This
year, as in past years, with the tight window of time to thin Barbera shoots,
Elizabeth turned to her labor contractor to supply help. Her vineyard, Shaker
Ridge, needed 100 to 120 hours of work to be done in 2 to 3 days time. But this
year, labor was tight. Her contractor turned her down and she was scrambling to
find help. “I don’t know what is more stressful, trying to do the work
yourself, or trying to find help,” she said with exasperation. Finally their
contractor sent some laborers to help finish the job, but Elizabeth and Andrew
had already put in 60 hours between them on a beautiful spring weekend. Their
daughter busied herself with schoolwork.

“This
is one of the perils of being a small farmer. Scale is helpful in that
respect.”

Providing
high quality grapes to wineries in El Dorado County and elsewhere has been the
role of small winegrape growers, and that isn’t changing very fast. New farmers
come into the Sierra Foothills every year to grow winegrapes, largely because
they want to get out of the corporate rat race and to be close to the land.
Over half of the 70 members of the El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association
farm fewer than 10 acres.

“We
have a lot of small vineyards here largely because of the mountain topography,”
Elizabeth said. “There are some vineyards of more than 100 acres, but we don’t
have any thousand-acre vineyards. In the middle-range vineyards, between 10 and
100 acres, some vineyard owners have extended families or grown kids who help
them do the work.”

In
the more remote areas of El Dorado County where so many small vineyards are
located, labor will continue to be a concern. “In the Apple Hill area, where
there are a dozen vineyards within a mile of each other, or in the Fair Play
AVA, it’s possible to pool labor efficiently with the labor contractors. But so
many of our members are all by themselves, farming a few acres in challenging
terrain,” Elizabeth noted.

It
is worth the effort. The grapes that these small farmers grow have intense
flavor, gorgeous color, and are used to produce the delicious wines that are
garnering Sierra Foothill wines more and more awards and recognition. The buzz
in the wine business is palpable.

As
to Shaker Ridge Vineyard, located up mountain in the little town of El Dorado,
population about 4500, Elizabeth and Andrew are now in their 11thleaf.
They bought vacant land, prepped it, and planted their vines in 2002. Now in
their mid-forties, the former molecular anthropologist and her husband the
toxicologist have no regrets. Will their elementary school daughter see farming
as a career too?

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The 8th Annual Tahoe City Wine Walk presented tourists and locals a chance to taste wines from regional California wine producers as they sashayed the streets of downtown Tahoe City on a nice summer day.This fundraiser for the Tahoe City Downtown Association attracts great wineries and hundreds of wine lovers.

I started my tasting tour at Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company, where they poured a 2011 Chardonnay, Main Street Winery, St Helena, CA with grapes sourced from Santa Barbara County.The result is a wine with aroma of pear and tropical fruit, and taste of melon, lemon and apple, a hint of toasted almonds.It’s a nicely balanced and creamy wine, with a bit of spice.13.5 percent alcohol.It’s on the wine list at Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company for $6 the glass.

Rosemary Bluhm of CG di Arie pours
for winelover Brian Aebi

A favorite area winery of mine is CG di Arie, based in El Dorado County.From its tasting location in front of Barifot, I sampled di Arie’s 2009 Sierra Legend, a red blend that won Double Gold in the 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.This blend (35% Syrah, 25% Primitivo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc) features grapes from the Shenandoah Valley of California.It has an aroma of berries and chocolate, with flavor of fruit, and some savory and smoky notes too.Well balanced and with a structured acidity, this is a food friendly wine perfect for summer meals!14.3 percent alcohol.$35/bottle.www.cgdiarie.com

﻿﻿﻿

Bill Manson of Cielo
pours for Bill Youndt

Cielo Estate of El Dorado County, poured wine at the North Tahoe Arts Center.The yummy 2011 Magnifique, El Dorado, is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.Wine Director Bill Manson was on hand to discuss this wine, which features flavors of red fruits such as black cherry, currant and cassis.It is smooth, silky, and has a lingering finish.13.9 per cent alcohol. www.cieloestate.com

Mount Aukum, El Dorado County, chose Blue Stone Jewelry as its pouring venue.I tasted the 2007 Syrah from the Fair Play AVA, and enjoyed this full-bodied wine.The flavor is classic Syrah: very berry and firm spices with smoky tannins.15.7 percent alcohol.$35/bottle.Buy at Blue Stone Jewelry in Truckee or go towww.mountaukum.com

Hatcher Sauvignon Blanc
featured at Uncorked

As you might expect, Uncorked in the Cobblestone Mall, Tahoe City, had many of these wines on hand for tasting and sale.Their feature was Hatcher’s 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Sierra Foothills.A nice citrusy nose of grapefruit, and flavor of lime and green apple.The medium acidity makes this a great summer wine! 14.3 percent alcohol.$18/bottle.www.hatcherwinery.com

Bogle Merlot at
Alpenglow Sports

Bogle’s 2011 Merlotis a crowd-pleaser, and widely available.Alpenglow Sports hosted this winery, and lines were long to sample this well-known wine.Cherry cola is the dominant flavor, with currant and fig mingling with a pleasant herbal nature.It has a smooth and lovely mouthfeel.13.5 per cent alcohol.Internet prices as low as $10/bottle!Now, that’s a sweet spot for the summer!

This information first appeared in The Tahoe Weekly newspaper, where I write the Wine Timecolumn, on July 3, 2013

THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS WINE EXPERIENCE

There's nowhere else on earth like the mountains and foothills of the Sierra. The winemakers there embrace the terroir, lifestyle and pioneering spirit. Visit the wineries, experience their passion, and taste the love. Send your news, comments, photos to barbarakeck.winenewswriter (at) gmail (dot) com.